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Assamite
History Early History Dark Ages The Anarch Revolt The time of the Anarch Revolt was a good one for the Assamites. The Clan's modus operandi changed not in the slightest, and yet they could openly diablerize to their hearts' content, while the elders of the other bloodlines were too busy fighting off their own childer to worry about other assassins. When younger vampires assaulted their sire's haven and broken into his secret lair but discovered nothing but a freshly-made pile of ash, it's a fair bet than an Assamite was responsible. Unfortunately for the Clan, but fortunately for everyone else, this open season on all other vampires forced the newly-formed Camarilla's hand, and faced against the combined power of seven Clans, even the Assamites took a step back and were forced to re-judge their position in things. The prospects were not favorable: in addition to the Camarilla, the remaining Anarchs cared not where they obtained their blood, so long as it was more powerful than theirs (an attitude not uncommon among the Assamites themselves). This may not have been incentive enough if it were not the case that many Assamites had suffered at the hands of the Inquisition as well, who were more than happy to eliminate creatures of the night who just so happened to also be heretics and heathens. Thus it was that the elders of Clan Assamite ended up choosing the lesser evil over the greater (at least from their point of view): instead of being hunted down by the whole of vampire society, as well as the mortal, they agreed to submit to a blood-curse cast by the Tremere. In addition to solidyfing the Tremere power in the sect, this spell also prevented Assamites from gaining nourishment and power from Cainite blood, thus rendering diablerie pointless. Rumored additional affects hold that the Assamites would have to feed more often, since even the mortal blood they supped would drain from their bodies in order to feed the curse. This, as well as the fact that Assamites often gave up their vitae to their elders, ensured that every single Assamite on the globe was going hungry, even when they were "full". The Assamites and the Black Hand When the Sabbat was formed, many Assamites flocked to the sect. Thanks to the blood-curse, Assamites were now weakened and, from the outside perspective, a danger to the stability of vampiric society. Even a Clan who, to a member, were well-trained assassins, the prospect of facing the Brujah, Gangrel, and Nosferatu all at once did not appeal to the plots of the elders. Many of the Assamites opted to join the Sabbat, who upheld the Anarch ideals of free diablerie, superiority over mortals, and disrupting the plans of the Antediluvians. Though the Assamites revered their Founder, the thought of managing to someday diablerize one of the other twelve was too tempting a bargain. Even in the modern nights, the Assamite presence is linked heavily (almost exclusively) to the sect-within-a-sect that is the Black Hand. The Assamites became the not-so-secret police of the sect, a threat hanging over the heads of any vampires the elders deemed wayward. Victorian Age Final Nights Organization 1.) [[Haqim|'Haqim']] :2.) The Eldest: The office of Eldest began in the Second City as an unofficial honor. When Haqim left for his frequent journeys, he would place one of the his chider in charge of the affairs of his home. After the Children of Haqim founded Alamut, the position became a formal one. The Eldest (colloquially known as "the Old Man" even during the two occasions when a female held the position) was the oldest childe of Haqim interested in directing the clan in the ancestor's absence. During those times when no fourth-generation Child was available to take the Black Throne, the du'at chose one of their number as Eldest, with the two council members who did not become Eldest choosing the Eldest's replacement. The Eldest can be deposed by a unanimous challenge from all three du'at members, though this has happened only once in the clan's recorded history. :As defined, the Eldest is the supreme leader of the Assamites, answerable only to Haqim. Throughout the centuries, though, most have recognized the impossibility of exerting "control" over all their "subjects." Only a few have tried to bring the dispossessed to heel, and these met with universally dismal ends. :The last Eldest was Jamal, a warrior who held the Black Throne from 1494 to 1998. When ur-Shulgi arose, the ancient chose to test the Children's loyalty from the top down. Ur-Shulgi claims that Jamal refused to renounce Allah and was thus "sent...to meet his young god." Jamal was the first Assamite to die in such a fashion, and many schismatic warriors consider him a martyr. Ur-Shulgi refuses to take the mantle of Eldest, referring to Haqim himself by that title. :Ur-Shulgi (refuses to take the mantle, but technically holds it power); formerly Jamal. ::3.) The Du'at: a council that is traditionally the heads of the three Assamite castes: the Caliph of the warriors, the Vizier of the viziers, and the Amr of the sorcerers. It is the clan's observed authority on matters of policy. Alamut's records put the formation of the du'at as a formal body at approximately 2000 B.C. The du'at was the Eldest's closest circle of advisors, though council members often drew information from their subordinate specialists. The council also collectively arbitrated crosscaste disputes that threatened the stability of the children as a whole. ::With the destruction of one member and the subsequent departure of the other two, its unlikely that a du'at will be re-formed in the foreseeable future. Al-Ashrad currently seeks to restructure his followers into an organization more palatable to the Camarilla, and secret clan councils have no place in such a body. Ur-Shulgi refuses to acknowledge a new Caliph, Amr or Vizier among the loyalists, apparently preferring to allow its followers to sort themselves out without its guidance. :::*'The Caliph': The warrior caste's leader is known as the Caliph. He is, in theory, the greatest combatant among the Children of Haqim, though few Caliphs have been masters of every form of combat. The Caliph's primary duties are to advise the Eldest on matters that pertain to the defense of the Children as a whole and to guide the warrior caste in its defense of the clan, its holdings and its mortal subjects (when the Assamites had mortal subjects, at any rate). Additionally, should a trial by single combat arise whose outcome affects the entire clan, the Caliph is the Cainite who fights on the Children's behalf. No records of such an event exist, though the fact that this is the duty of the Caliph suggests that such circumstances arose at least once before. ''Antitribu'' The Assamite antitribu are an interesting case, since they are mistrusted not because they have left their Clan's sect, but because they have joined one. Assamite antitribu end up almost entirely among the Sabbat's secretive Black Hand, and a majority of the Hand are Assamite antitribu. A scattered handful may simply have left the religious attitudes of Alamut, or broken a Clan law or ethic. Since 1999, a significant splinter group of the Clan, known as Schismatic Assamites, have tentatively made contact with the Camarilla. Why they have left their parent Clan is not clear, though many cite religious or ethical issues. Sects Bloodlines Culture Assamites are divided into three castes, which often have a semi-antagonistic relationship with each other. They also have different Disciplines and weaknesses. All Assamites grow dark with age, have access to Quietus as a clan Discipline, and have a weakness related to some form of lust so powerful that it stains their aura. Warrior Assamites are the primary fighters of the clan. They are the Assamites most likely to take assasination contracts and most likely to adhere to the Path of Blood. When other vampires think of Assamites, they are most likely to picture a warrior. Younger Warriors typically came from Islamic countries, and may mix the tenants of the Path of Blood with Islamic ideas about holy war. They are often fanatical and ready to die for the cause. Elder Warriors may come from other religions entirely, and see themselves more as judges (and executioners) than as holy warriors or assassins. Their weakness is an addiction to vampire vitae and an aura stained by diablerie. Even if they have never actually engaged in diablerie, their aura shows their blood lust clearly. Sorcerors are the the smallest caste, but the second most recognizable. They claim to have practiced sorcery since the time of the Second City and to have been created to counter the dark magic of the Baali. Their magic is partially based around Babylonian and Sumerian magics, with some more modern components thrown in. Sorcerors usually need to send themselves into some sort of altered state of consciousness in order to focus their magics. This may involve consuming drugs, whirling themselves into a trance, ritually wounding themselves, or even more exotic methods. Their weakness comes from their lust for magical power. A sorceror's aura is so stained with magic that there is little way to mistake him for anything else. They also have trouble using powers to hide themselves due to their blazing auras. Viziers are the least well-known caste, but allegedly the oldest caste (according to them). They are the scholars and artisans of the clan. In many ways, they are similar to the Toreador, but where the Toreador become lost in contemplation, the viziers explode in frenzied creative activity. Viziers lust after knowledge or artistic perfection. They suffer from an obsessive-compulsive derangement that causes them to pursue their art with the tenacity of a pit bull. A vizier in the throes of his Derangement will persue it to the exclusion of all other activites. His aura will blaze with madness. Vampires with Auspex may be able to discern exactly what it is he so doggedly persues. Assamites On the Job An Assamite on assignment is a frightening thing to witness. Members of the Clan do not set foot off of Alamut until they are deemed worthy enough by the Clan's elders - and the elders have exceptionally high standards. A hunting Assamite is focused on one single thing: bringing down the target. If a clanmember is faced with either destroying the target or surviving to fight another day, they will always choose to eliminate the target. Failure to do so means that the assassin is not dedicated enough to the Assamite cause: hadd (vengeance). Again, the assassin will not leave (or live) Alamut unless he is deemed worthy, so Assamites rarely, if ever, fail. Assamites Off-Duty When off-duty, Assamites spend their leisure time in religious meditation, rigorous physical training, or developing less tangible skills such as mental focus. Though the Clan is stratified according to generation and personal skill, each of the three castes are fairly informal within themselves. Neonates are students; asking questions is a natural part of a student's life. So long as they are not questioning the orders or motives of their superiors, they receive a great deal of hands-on training. Elders are granted respect for their prowess and age, and the leaders of the sect (a triumvirate known as the du'at) deploy their underlings according to their abilities. Clan Prestige • Obscure; your trainer and your fellow students recognize you, but you still have not made it very far up the mountain •• Known; you have passed your training, and are ready to take on assignments. Prove yourself worthy by feasting on the blood of your foes ••• Popular; you are a proven assassin and capable of hunting Cainites with ease. Your faith, dedication, and skill are solid and unquestionable •••• Storied; the tally of your kills has begun to rival those of some smaller wars. Your blood is thick and potent, and you are but steps away from Haqim himself (Fatima al-Faqadi) ••••• Legend; there is nothing living and nothing dead that can stand before you. The Childer of Haqim look to you as the paragon of what it means to be Assamite (Ur-Shulgi, the Old Man of the Mountain, Haqim) Style and Appearance When on Alamut, Assamites usually revert to clothing as prescribed by their chosen religion, usually long, loose robes that allow freedom of movement. When on assignment, they equip themselves with the latest in killing technology, such as skintight bodysuits, belts and straps carrying ammunition and bladed weapons, and sturdy, flat-soled shoes for running and climbing. In the even that they were not Embraced with shaved heads, Assamites will temporarily cut off their hair or at least bind it into buns or ponytails. Occassionally, if the situation demands, they will darken their skin with ash or paint, though due to their qualities of blood, they usually have no difficulty blending in to the shadows. qualities of blood: as Assamites age and gain generation, their skin darkens and becomes less visible in shadow Religion and Philosophy Assamites, especially those who survived the Schism, come in two broad categories: those who have given up mortal religion and instead worship their clan Founder, Haqim, and those who still practice as they did during their mortal days. Muslim Assamites make up the largest fragment of the latter group, though there are still a few die-hard Jews and Christians (those Embraced from 0 C.E. to roughly 600 C.E.). Marked for Death: Clan Relationships The Assamites, as a whole, are assassins and cannibals. This makes relationships with other Clans and Sects difficult at the best of times, particularly with the Camarilla, who normally eschews the use of assassination as a political tool, and rabidly opposes the very notion of diablerie. The Clan has no formal relationship with any other Clan - or, better to say, rather has a long and intimate history with all other Clans, but favors none. Assamites: The Blood Calls The Schism The Assamite castes split apart during the Schism. Ur-Shulgi demanded that other Assamites give up the worship of other gods and only revere Haqim. This resulted in many Assamites being killed, and many more opting to leave Alamut. Ur-Shulgi was particularly vicious towards Muslim Assamites, and killed several elders for refusing to renounce their faith, including the head of the Warrior caste. Some Assamites joined the Camarilla. Most of those that joined the Camarilla were viziers and sorcerors. Warriors that joined the Camarilla are generally seen as loose cannons who must be supervised by their more restrained (and non-vitae-addicted) clanmates. Sorcerors in the Camarilla find their skills in high demand as an alternative to dealing with the Tremere. A small number of Assamites, mostly Warriors, joined the Sabbat. While the Assamite-antitribu who had been with the Sabbat for the last 500 years were entirely from Warrior stock, the Warriors opting to join the Sabbat were not entirely welcomed with open arms. Many of the Assamite-antitribu elders, particularly in the Black Hand, had defected and left the Sabbat to return to the main clan. This meant the Sabbat was not entirely welcoming because of the recent betrayal. Few sorcerors or viziers joined the Sabbat. Some Assamites chose to go completely independent and avoid all the sects. They also drew away from the main clan, primarily for religious reasons. Few Warriors chose this option. Most Dispossessed Assamites are Viziers or Sorcerors. Many Assamites stayed with the main clan. Most of these were warriors and sorcerors. Virtually all Assamites on the Path of Blood chose to stay with the main clan. Embraces Assamites typically try to embrace someone who will be 'useful' to the clan as a whole. This most often means someone who be willing to fight and die for the clan's (or at least their sire's) goals. However, during the long period that the clan labored under the Tremere curse, people may also have been embraced for knowledge in a specific (often obscure) area. Typically this had something to do with sorcery or medical research involving blood, but may also have included more obscure areas of research as well. Assamites typically choose people with somewhat obsessive personalities for the Embrace. As they are typically involved with either hunting down miscreants or conducting obscure research, they tend to be highly motivated individuals. This often results in Assamites picking individuals who are fanatically devoted to a cause, religion, theory, or activity. The various caste flaws and the training they undergo after the Embrace tends to accentuate this even more. Thus Assamites can be said to select childer that will be eager to chase down their prey no matter how long it takes or how far they must go. That prey may be a physical target, an obscure piece of knowledge, or even pursuing the perfection of an art form. The Assamites draw most of their childer from the Middle East and surrounding areas, but this does not mean they are all Arabs. They also Embrace childer from North African tribes, Persians, central Asia groups such as the Uzbeks and Kazaks, and various Mediterranean groups. Assamites from European or far Eastern ethnic groups aren't unheard of, but are not common. When thinking of the Assamites, most other vampires assume they will be Muslim. While they do draw the majority of their childer from the Middle East, and thus Muslim countries, this does not mean all Assamites are Muslims. While most are, and some Assamites from pre-Islamic times converted, it is not considered the official Assamite religion by any stretch of the imagination. Many elder Assamites come from pre-Islamic cultures practicing some form of animism or ancestor worship. Some are Jews, Christians, or Zorastrian, as these were also common in the area before the coming of Islam, and are still present in the modern era, though to a lesser extent. Virtually any religious background is acceptable for an Assamite, being a Muslim is just most likely. Assamites tend to Embrace more men than women overall. In 1st edition sources, it was even indicated that they did not Embrace women at all until roughly 200 years ago. Later editions refuted this. They still tend to embrace more men than women. The exact ratios have varied with time and depend on caste. Warriors typically embrace far more men than women, and may be the source of the rumor that the Assamites actually banned embracing women. Women are less likely to have the skills that warriors favor. They also tend to be physically smaller and less aggressive than men. That they were typically married off young and were raising children also limited the number embraced as Warriors. Female warriors thus tend to have unusual skills or backgrounds that lead to their Embrace. Some may have disguised themselves as men to fight, be skilled with more subtle means of assassination (such as poison), or less physical aspects of warfare (such as diplomacy). Viziers and Sorcerors are less focused on the physical skills of their childer, and thus more likely to embrace women. The number of women embraced waxed and waned based on the overall attitude towards educating women. In periods where women were rarely taught to read or write, they naturally took fewer women. However, even in periods where few people were educated, a vizier might take someone for their skill with art or social acumen, even if they were a total illiterate. Similarly, a sorceror might embrace someone who showed some innate knack for magic, even if they could not write their own name. Childer could be taught to read and write after the Embrace, afterall. Men typically had a head start on education however, making them a more likely choice. Agewise, Embraces were also skewed by caste. With their emphasis on physical pursuits, Assamite warriors typical favor the young and fit. Thus most warriors with an older physical appearance were propably embraced for their skills with leadership or tactics, rather than raw physical might. Older warriors may also have been embraced for skill in an area that takes a lifetime to master, such as blacksmithing, constructing siege weapons, or more obscure weapons and fighting styles. It is unlikely that a warrior would Embrace anyone with a severe physical problem. Viziers and Sorcerors typically place greater emphasis on learning and mental skills. While an exceptionally smart or artistically talented individual may catch their eye while still young, they are more likely to select someone who has spent a lifetime learning or perfecting their skills. Thus many sorcerors and viziers may be of an advanced physical age reflecting years of study before their embrace. As Auspex can also help compensate for the slow loss of hearing or sight with age, viziers in particular may consider embracing an individual with a sound mind but infirm body. The Assamite Weakness Quotes and Criticisms "Killing is their religion?? If I ever get that bored, send me to torpor." - Rick Gentle Notable Assamites *al-Ashrad, lead amr (sorcerer) of Alamut *Fajr, Fatima al-Faqadi *Haqim (Hassim/Hassam), Founder of the Assamite Clan *Sihr Haddad *Ur-Shulgi, Methuselah of the Assamites and right hand of Haqim <<<< BACK